1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an infotainment and/or telematics system in which the functionality of a fixed base unit is extensible and/or upgradable when integrated with one or more personal communication devices.
2. Related Art
Infotainment/telematics systems are used in a wide range of environments, including home systems, vehicle systems, and other environments in which individuals are subject to visual and/or audio stimuli. Such systems may provide video and/or audio entertainment and/or information to the individuals in the environment from multiple media and/or information sources. Media sources may include media files on optical storage (i.e., CD players, DVD players, and other optical formats), FLASH memory storage (i.e., USB memory, memory stick storage, and other non-volatile memory storage), disk drive storage, server-based storage, and other media storage.
The technology used in infotainment/telematics systems may change rapidly over a short period of time. Infotainment/telematics systems, such as those installed in a vehicle, may include technology current with the time at which the vehicle is manufactured. That technology may become old or obsolete not long after the vehicles are purchased. Further, certain infotainment/telematics system functionality, although existing at the time that the vehicle was manufactured, may not be made available by the manufacturer until subsequent versions of the infotainment/telematics system.
A mismatch may exist between the lifecycle of a vehicle that is used for ten or more years and the innovation cycle of the infotainment/telematics system used in the vehicle. Such a mismatch may also result in a rapid obsolescence of a set of fixed components of an infotainment/telematics system. Therefore, it may be desirable to update an infotainment/telematics system to make additional infotainment and/or telematics functionality available without replacing all of the principal components of the infotainment/telematics system.